William Wordsworth’s relationship with nature

William Wordsworth is regarded as one of the top three poets in English literature, along with William Shakespeare and John Milton. He is the pioneer and founder of the Romantic Movement in English literature. Few poets have devoted their lives so entirely to the promotion of poetry. Wordsworth is particularly renowned for emphasizing the significance of nature in his works. To him, nature did not merely represent the natural world but much more than that.

Wordsworth’s poetry is significant because it presents a constant portrayal of nature. Nature is not just a part of life but has its own existence and life. Nature is not just trees, water, and picturesque landscapes, but also has a spirit and an existence of its own, apart from human beings. Wordsworth believes that people should not forget this aspect of nature and should communicate with it by considering it as their own counterpart.

We all know that nature can inspire poet to write poetry. However, Wordsworth believes that nature can have a highly active influence on a poet’s life rather than having a passive one. According to him, it can help to create powerful emotions in the mind of a poet and when the poet think of it can create powerful poetry. Wordsworth believes that it has happened to him that after experiencing a beautiful event or scene in nature, he returned home, recollected the emotion in tranquility and composed very good poems. In fact, Wordsworth thinks that nature can play a very active role throughout the entire poetic process.

Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey” is an excellent poem that mainly deals with memory and nature. This poem is a reflection of the change of emotion in the poet. Five years ago, he visited the place, and he visited there again. He notices a significant change between these two visits. When he first visited, he experienced and made some wonderful memories in his youth. He did not think much about the relationship between humans and nature; rather, he just experienced and enjoyed the beauty of nature in that place. However, after five years, he comes to understand that there is a certain kind of bond and emotion attached to the place in his mind. He is also aware that during his current visit, he will discover new aspects upon seeing the place again. He has described things in a very simple yet beautiful manner and believes that people should foster a relationship with nature.

Wordsworth’s poem “It is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free” is a remarkable piece of poetry. In fact, it is a sonnet and perhaps the best sonnet written by him. It is an emotional poem in which he reflects on nature in a very calm and peaceful manner. It was a beautiful evening, and the place was very quiet and peaceful, like a nun. The poet realizes that the beauty of the place evokes a sense of heavenly bliss in his mind, and he perceives nature as divine. In this poem, the poet finds a relationship between nature and God, and he believes that nature is an essential component of God.

Wordsworth brought a new trend to poetry and had a significant influence on the Romantic poets who followed. While some of them appreciated his ideas, others did not. Byron, Shelley, and Keats were among the other Romantic poets who contributed their own styles. Coleridge, a close friend of Wordsworth, also differed with him regarding the role of nature in both human life and poetry. However, it is undeniable that William Wordsworth was a pioneer in emphasizing the role of nature in both human life and poetic expression.

Use of nature in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

We all know that the romantic age in English literature is mainly famous for the emphasis of all the poets on nature. There were five or six major poets in this age, and all of them wrote many poems directly or indirectly related to the theme of nature. It was William Wordsworth who put the most importance on the relationship between nature and human life, and he tried to show that nature is alive and is directly related to our life. Samuel Taylor Coleridge did not completely share the same view with his friend, but in his poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, we can find some strong relationship between nature and human life on various occasions.

According to Coleridge, nature was not so strong and deeply and directly connected to human life. However, we can perhaps find some interesting things in this respect in the poem. Coleridge wanted to portray supernatural events as very normal and natural.

A closer look at the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” will perhaps tell us that nature is indeed related to human life. The mariner sets on a journey, and at first, he was not concerned about anything else but his own pleasure. Even when he saw the albatross, he did not like it at all and for no reason killed it. Then, we can find that nature is not dead but its own soul. The mariner just offended the soul of nature by killing the albatross.

Albatross is the symbol of innocence. It was really and purely an innocent creature of God. It was the first thing the sailors saw after a long time in the ocean. So, the sailors were very happy as they had some company at last. The albatross came regularly and brought delight and fun for the sailors.

Coleridge has perhaps also tried to show that nature and God are not separate things. God was angry with the ancient mariner when he killed the albatross. Then, God brought punishment for him, and after suffering from a long punishment, the ancient mariner was changed in his heart, and he could ask forgiveness from God. God forgave him only when he showed mercy and kindness to water snakes.

Coleridge has used symbolism in this poem that is sometimes related to nature. For example, the albatross is a symbol and many discussions have taken place among the critics about the use of symbols in this poem. I like to state that the albatross is the symbol of innocence and in a way the symbol of goodness. When we throw away innocence and goodness from our life, our life becomes painful and meaningless.

Coleridge has painted some beautiful imageries with words related to nature. While discussing the sea, albatross, water snakes and the water around the ship, Coleridge really used very beautiful examples of imagery.

I have already said that according to Coleridge, nature is not separate from human life. However, Coleridge has focused on another thing that personal experience of the person is also important. The ancient mariner had some experiences in nature and these experiences changed him and made him a totally different person. He learned some moral lessons from the events that took place on the ship. At first, he killed the albatross, and then he suffered punishment. While he was suffering from punishment, life became intolerable for him. However, he understood that showing kindness to the creatures of God and to natural objects is important indeed.

In our age, many people talk about environmental pollution and care for the environment. In a way, this poem of Coleridge is like a pioneering effort in modern literature to make people conscious about taking care of the environment. For this reason, anyone who believes in supporting the environmental causes around the world should read the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”.